The Kingdom of Vale
by Ree-Dur-Old
Summary: Ruled by Princess Cinder, the Kingdom of Vale is at a time of peace, Well, as peaceful as it gets with a immature Ruler, the Fang still on the roam. This is the story of a few citizens residing in Vale, ranging from a Farmer to an Wizard's Apprentice, from a Bar Maid to an Assassin, from a Woodcutter to a Slave, from a Butcher to a Knight's Squire, and whatever falls between.


Before the sun even rises, many people start their mornings.

A young girl with red tipped black hair and silver eyes, wakes before most, even before the roosters.

This girl was Ruby, a simple farmer peasant without a family name, she gets up early to tend to the farm she works at, it isn't a large farm.

The Pines Family Farm, is located near the kingdom walls, but not close enough to block the morning sunrise.

She goes through her morning routine, but with more pep in her step than usual, it's because she gets to use her favourite tool today.

Ruby grabs the tool and walks to the crops, and with precision and grace, she swings the scythe from left to right.

After she's done with the crops, she doesn't even notice the sun has risen, she's too busy playing with the tool.

Ruby doesn't play for long, just until she's satisfied.

When she puts the tool away, she takes a break.

She sits on a fence next to the road, and gazes at the giant castle where the Princess lives.

"Ruby!" A female voice shouts from the road.

Ruby jumps off the fence, and turns with a small smile to a blonde girl with lilac eyes pulling a cart filled with timber and firewood. "Hey, Yang, it's been a while."

"Ugh, don't remind me, I've been going a little crazy all alone in my cabin." Yang complains, her usual complaint, before continuing with. "Hey, you seem happier than usual. Oh, yeah, you cut the crops today didn't you? I'll never understand your obsession with a Scythe."

"Imagine if you could only use your axe once a Harvest." Ruby said, pointing to the axe clipped to her hip. "Speaking of Harvest, Oscar's taking the crops, and I'm going to sell a pig, I was wondering if you'll guide me to a shop."

"Sure, but after we're done, we're going to have some fun. You need a minute, or are you ready." Yang said as she grabbed her cart.

"I just need to put a leash the pig."

After walking for a while, Yang stops to deliver her cart, then they head to a slaughterhouse.

On the way there, something catches Ruby's eye, "Hey, Yang." She calls out.

"Hm, yeah." Yang responds and looks at Ruby.

"What's up with that?" Ruby asked as she points toward something.

Yang looks to where she pointed at, and scowled.

Ruby was pointing a group of Faunus in a single file line with shackles linking them together, as a tall Knight, with brown hair and armor that had a bird crest on display, holds the pulls the chain, and three Squires surround the Faunus.

"Those _things_." Yang spat out. "Are _Faunus_, and if they're with a Knight, it's likely they're part of The Fang."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at her friends disgust, but didn't comment on it. "I've never seen one before."

"Lucky you." Yang whispered through gritted teeth, her fists were balled up and her knuckles were white.

Ruby looked from her friend to the line of Faunus, there were four Faunus'.

One with small wings on his back, one with antlers on her head, one with fur covered arms, and one with cat ears on her head.

The last one glanced in their direction, she had amber eyes, that were puffy like she has been crying, but they still held a predatory edge in them.

Once they were out of sight, Ruby nudged Yang, to get her attention back, Yang still looked upset but guided Ruby to her destination.

The slaughterhouse was behind a neat little shop, you could probably get more for a pig if you sold it to a stranger who didn't understand the value of a pig, but butchers understood how to cut up a pig and how to sell it.

Truthfully, Ruby just didn't want to haggle with someone who couldn't afford the minimum price, she should get a fair price from a professional.

As the reached the door, Yang banged on the wall next to it, she was a strong girl who spent her time cutting wood, and didn't want to pay for breaking a flimsy door.

After a few moments, someone opened the door. "Hello." A tall blond boy with sharp blue eyes greeted them with a smile, he was wearing a blood splattered apron, and holding a bloody cleaver knife.

Ruby step forward and pulled the leash holding the pig. "I'm looking to sell this, but I'm not in the mood to haggle."

The boy's eyes softened, and he crouched next to the pig, after a few moments he petted the pig and stood back up. "We should have deal, I imagine you'll be reasonable."

"I have a minimum price and I'm not looking to waste time." Ruby said and sold her pig to the boy for a decent price.

"Thank you for your business, would you like to buy a part before you leave, a good pig goes fast." The boy said.

"I'm good." Ruby said as she left.

"Ah, wait!" The boy called out.

Ruby stopped walking, and turned around. "What?"

The boy scratched the back on his head, with a bloody hand. "I forgot to ask your name, sorry. If a pig is sick we deal with the courts, but we don't do business with you or your home again."

"I'm Ruby of the Pines Family Farm." Ruby said.

"Thanks, if you have a problem or another farm animals to sell, just ask for Jaune." The now named Jaune said.

"Sure." Ruby said, and left with Yang for good this time.

"So?" Yang asked.

"I got a good price, thanks." Ruby said, ignoring the glint in Yang's eyes.

"That's not what I meant, I'm asking for your thoughts in Jaune."

"I know, and my only thoughts are that he's reasonable."

"Ruby your killing me here." Yang said with a sigh. "You don't like Oscar, even though he's in love with you and has a family name, you didn't like that sellsword, and now your not even considering Jaune." Yang over dramatically sighed again. "You're hopeless, at this rate, I'll have to find an actual Prince Charming."

Ruby rolled her eyes at her Yang's dramatics.

{Line Break.}

The Kingdom of Vale was currently under the reign of Princess Cinder Vale, the only daughter of the previous rulers.

She was a young girl with black hair and burning amber eyes.

One might call her a tyrant, but that was only partially true, she did care for her Kingdom, just not so much for the people.

If it was for the better of the Kingdom she would destroy villages and take what was needed.

She was a believer of the needs of the many outway the needs of the few, just replace the many with herself and the few with everyone else.

And you know who else she didn't care for, whiny Nobles who did nothing but complain.

"Excuse me?" She interrupted the rant from the Nobel. Then continued in a soft, bubbly and curious voice. "Could you remind me why you're a Lord?"

The Nobel bought her façade and spoke as if he was speaking to a child, his eyes gleaming with manipulation. "The former Queen requested me personally for a task that only I could accomplish, after I completed the task, she saw my value and appointed me the position."

"Yeah, you sound useless." She spoke in her normal cold tone, and snapped her fingers.

A thud echoes the snap, as a sliver figure sheathed his sword. "Can you believe he actually bought your act?" He asked as he returned to his spot standing to the right of Princess Cinder in her Throne.

"Now, Mercury, you can't expect much from the rabble." Princess Cinder said. "And on the topic of the rabble, how goes your Squire?"

"Nikos? Better than expected." Mercury, a young boy with light grey hair and eyes, said, then he smirked and continued. "I mean she's still alive."

The doors to the Throne Room open, and in walk two men, one with orange hair and a cane, the other with black and grey hair and a mustache.

Both of them barely spare the corpse of the Nobel a glance.

The orange haired man gives a mocking bow. "Your Majesty." He drawled out.

"What is it Torchwick?" Princess Cinder whines, tired before she even argues with her advisor, it would be easier if she was allowed to kill him, but no one else could match his skills.

"I've found another street urchin who caught my eye, I'll be busy for a day or two, so don't start a war." Torchwick said.

"Another? What about that Ren boy?" She can't help but wonder, completely ignoring the war comment, she doesn't need to be reminded of that _incident_.

"He's to babysit and serve to the new one, I even got a cute little butler outfit for him." Torchwick said with a twirl of his cane.

"Fine, permission granted." She sighed and turned her head to look at the other man. "What is it you need Watts?" She asked as Torchwick left.

"I was wondering if we had a Faunus, I need it's blood." Watts said.

"Hmm, is this for a recipe, or an experiment?" Princess Cinder asked her Wizard.

"Little bit of both, actually, the recipe calls for animal's blood, and I thought some testing was in order." Watts said as he twirled his mustache.

"Okay, I'll send Emerald to fetch you if I find some, for now go get everything else ready." Princess Cinder said and dismissed Watts with a wave, he bowed and left.

When he was gone, Princess Cinder turned to her personal Knight and asked. "Where is my Lady in Waiting?"

She received a shrug, but before she could press the issue, the doors were opened once more, and in walked a tall brown haired armoured Knight with bird crest on display, with him he had four shackled Faunus, and his three Squires surrounding the Faunus.

Princess Cinder eyed the wings, antlers, fur and ears, before clapping, "Excellent job, Winchester."

Winchester puffed up his chest and opened his mouth to give his report, but a sudden entrance interrupted him.

A white haired girl with an armful of books burst into the room. "Master Watts please wait." She paused and looked around the room, when she couldn't find him she let out a groan.

Princess Cinder clapped again. "Weiss, Watts has begun preparation, please take one of these for the experiment."

Weiss turns to look at the wide eyed Faunus', the one with antlers tried to back up, but it couldn't get far.

Weiss smirks, and slowly points at the Antlered one, she takes pleasure in the horror she imagines it feels.

Princess Cinder gave some guards to accompany Weiss and the Ingredient to the Lab.

{Line Break.}

Not for the first time, Blake regrets renouncing her family name.

As she is shoved into a cell, she can't help but wonder about her friend, Deary, she was taken somewhere for an experiment.

And she can't help but feel relieved it wasn't her, Deary can only blame herself, Humans loved to make faunus suffer, if you don't show your suffering, they'll lose interest.

Blake looked over to another member from her squad, Yuma, a bat faunus, he was looking around the cell.

The last member of her squad was a gorilla faunus, and she didn't even know his name.

Blake doesn't know how long they sit in the cell, there weren't any window, or light, not that they needed light, Dark Sight and all that.

But she does know what will come next, they will be publicly executed, the Humans talked about like it was for fun, again Blake can't help but think of Deary.

_'Would she prefer death, over what they're doing to her?'_

Blake was the first to hear the Humans come for them, she could feel her stomach churn, her heart beat faster and her eyes tear up.

But she stomps down her emotion, and only leaves anger, just like Adam taught her.

_'Adam...'_

Instantly she loses control over her emotions, her sadness, fear, and everything else she refused to feel, all burst out.

_'It's all my fault.'_

She should've just listened, everyone else knew what they were talking about.

She shouldn't be allowed to be in control.

Her parents knew that, Adam knew that, her subordinates knew that.

Her subordinates, if... If she saved them, that would be a start, right?

She'll sacrifice herself for them.

Blake raises her head to share her plan, only to realize she was alone.

_'No, this can't be happening!'_

Blake scrambles to her feet and goes to the bars of the cell, she strains her ears and could faintly hear her Humans saying something about the winged one going first.

_'No.'_

Blake fell to her knees, and lost consciousness.


End file.
